Chapter 11: Leaving Home
Today was market day.
They returned to their small courtyard in high spirits, having acquired a packet of vegetable seeds, three jin of mung beans, ten jin of rice, six chicks, two ducklings, and three candied hawthorn skewers.
After returning home, the three sisters immediately dragged their brother-in-law to settle the chicks, while Yuan Yao’s first priority was to balance the accounts.
Six chicks cost twenty-four wen, mung beans fifteen wen, candied hawthorn three wen, and two ducks ten wen; rice remained at six wen per jin. In total, they had spent one hundred twelve wen—another qian gone. With only seven qian in loose change left on her person, such spending was clearly unsustainable.
They needed to earn money as soon as possible.
After finishing the accounts, Yuan Yao began organizing their purchases. She wasn’t worried about having bought so much rice; with grain prices expected to rise, it was essential to stock up. As for the mung beans, Yuan Yao planned to try making mung bean cakes.
In Shenmu Town, few vendors sell pastries, and most of what is available consists of wheat-based foods; genuine confectioneries are exceedingly rare. Yuan Yao’s current endeavor is merely a trial run; whether the treats will taste good or sell well remains entirely uncertain.
Jiang Song’an helped those three mischievous ones settle the chicks, then gathered several wooden planks and, mimicking an old farmer, assembled a coop. Yuan Shuang asked, “Brother-in-law, won’t we keep them in the chicken pen?”
Jiang Song’an said, “They’re too small and need to huddle together for warmth. The chicken coop is too big; we’ll move them in once they’ve grown into proper chicks.”
The three little sisters nodded obediently, thinking, Brother-in-law knows so much!
The two ducklings were treated similarly, but since there were no extra wooden boxes left, they had to be raised together with the chicks. At first, the six chicks were hostile toward the two ducklings, but later, seeing that everyone was equally fluffy, they let down their guard and huddled together, chirping “cheep cheep cheep.”
Jiang Song’an let the three sisters happily play while he went off to tend the vegetable garden.
Yuan Yao also needed to prepare lunch, so she went to the vegetable patch and picked some green onions. Given the Jiang family’s small plot, only green onions and garlic sprouts remained now. Yuan Yao felt somewhat embarrassed: “I don’t know how to farm, but I will learn in the future.”
Jiang Song’an paused, glancing at her strangely: “There’s no need for you to learn.”
Yuan Yao asked: “Why?”
Throughout the entire region spanning ten li in every direction, there wasn’t a single household whose women didn’t know how to farm.
Jiang Song’an sighed, “I’ll take care of it. You go do what you enjoy.”
What I enjoy…
For a fleeting moment, Yuan Yao felt disoriented. What did she actually like? Making incense? In truth, she had only started the spice business because few others were doing it and there was market demand; frankly, it was just to earn money.
Did she truly have anything she loved?
She suddenly gritted her teeth and declared, “I simply love farming!”
With that, she turned and walked away.
Jiang Song’an watched her retreating figure, sensing she was angry, though he couldn’t fathom why.
After a simple lunch, Yuan Yao set to work in the afternoon and soon had the mung bean cakes ready.
Soak the mung beans first; once softened, rub off the skins and steam them directly. When they become tender enough to be mashed into a smooth paste, add a small amount of sugar or honey. If available, a little milk will enhance the sweetness and richness of the flavor.
However, Yuan Yao never expected to have any milk; it was obviously impossible. Fortunately, there were still two pieces of unmelted malt sugar at home, which proved perfect for the purpose.
Mix the sweetened mung bean paste thoroughly, then shape it by hand into small cakes. Thus, the mung bean cakes are ready—simple to make, yet remarkably delicious, with a dense, smooth texture and a refreshing, delicate sweetness.
After Yuan Yao finished, she gave each of the three sisters a piece of pastry. It was their first time ever tasting such delicacies, and they were so astonished that their jaws hung open.
These past few days felt like a dream to them; how could they be eating such delicious food every single day!
Yuan Yao glanced again at the man busy working in the vegetable garden and walked over, but before she could even speak, a loud call came from beyond the courtyard wall: “Brother! We’ve got work!”
Both Yuan Yao and Jiang Song’an froze in surprise. After setting down his hoe, Jiang Song’an noticed her standing behind him. Yuan Yao pressed her lips together and said, “Go see what’s happening first.”
If she heard correctly, it seemed to be Tie Zhu, who worked alongside Jiang Song’an at the iron smithy in Qingshan County. Yuan Yao silently returned to the kitchen and set down the mung bean cakes.
Jiang Song’an soon came back and headed straight for the kitchen.
“It’s Tie Zhu.”
Yuan Yao guessed what had happened but said nothing: “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Song’an said, “The iron workshop has taken on a large order; we may need to leave earlier than planned.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow.”
Yuan Yao pressed her lips together and said, “Very well. I’ll help you pack and prepare today.”
She pointed to the plate on the stove: “These are freshly steamed mung bean cakes; please eat them. I’ll fry some flatbreads shortly for you to take to the county town.”
After speaking those words, Jiang Song’an had been closely observing Yuan Yao’s expression. Seeing no change in her demeanor, his eyes darkened slightly.
“Alright.”
–
Yuan Yao finished preparing all of Jiang Song’an’s luggage and fried over ten flatbreads as provisions, keeping busy until evening.
After spending the entire day in the kitchen, Yuan Yao wanted to take a bath.
Jiang Song’an would be leaving tomorrow, and with him gone, she would no longer have such a readily available helper; thus, she began heating water.
Jiang Song’an made three or four trips between the kitchen and the room before finally filling the new bathtub halfway, then carried in two more buckets of boiling water. “Is it alright to leave them here?” he asked.
When Yuan Yao entered the bathing chamber and saw such a large tub, her heart lifted with delight. She curved her lips into a smile. “Thank you, but I can manage on my own.”
Jiang Song’an gazed at her deeply once more, then turned and left.
Yuan Yao noticed nothing unusual about the man’s demeanor; she was completely immersed in the comfort of her bath…
How wonderful..
In her previous life, she had only been able to enjoy a proper bath after arriving at the prefectural city; back then, commissioning a carpenter to build a bathtub had cost quite a sum. If only she had known earlier how capable Jiang Song’an was… alas.
Yuan Yao felt no rush now. She leisurely combed her hair, washed it, and rinsed off, wishing she could linger in the bathtub a little longer. It was a pity there was no scented soap available; otherwise, it would have been perfect.
She had been soaking for a full half-hour and was just beginning to feel drowsy when suddenly a flurry of hurried footsteps approached from outside. Before Yuan Yao could even open her eyes, she was abruptly lifted out of the bathtub by someone!
Yuan Yao let out a startled cry, and the next moment, she found herself meeting Jiang Song’an’s anxious gaze.
“What are you doing!”
Only when he saw that Yuan Yao was unharmed did Jiang Song’an finally exhale in relief. Without saying a word, he grabbed a clean towel from beside him, wrapped her tightly in it, and strode toward the bedroom.
Jiang Song’an moved swiftly, effortlessly drying every drop of water from Yuan Yao’s skin before tucking her snugly beneath the covers.
Tossing the towel aside, Jiang Song’an slipped into the bed beside her.
As soon as he entered, Yuan Yao no longer felt cold.
“I’ll clean the bathing tub tomorrow morning,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of darkness that Yuan Yao now recognized.
“What were you doing just now?”
Jiang Song’an narrowed his eyes at her: “I thought you were drowning.”
Yuan Yao was stunned at first, then her eyes widened. “I was just taking a bath; how could I possibly drown!”
“Who can say for sure? You fell asleep; what if you slipped under?”
Yuan Yao still found it unbelievable and utterly unreasonable.
Nevertheless, she truly no longer wished to soak; the water was growing cold, nowhere near as warm as Jiang Song’an’s body. Drowsiness washed over her now, making her feel heavy with sleep.
Yet Jiang Song’an had no desire to sleep; with such warmth and softness nestled in his arms, how could he possibly drift off? Seeing Yuan Yao’s breathing gradually steady, his large hand began to wander restlessly.
It wasn’t long before Yuan Yao opened her eyes, casting him a reproachful glance.
He had claimed once every ten days! She really shouldn’t have softened her heart that day!
In merely seven or eight days since their return, he had already come to her five times; she was nearly exhausted to death!
Jiang Song’an gazed deeply at her, his hands never ceasing their motion. Yuan Yao bit her lip. “I’m sleepy.”
Jiang Song’an still said nothing, only nibbling at her earlobe.
This was a favorite spot he had discovered since returning home; every time he kissed it here, Yaoniang became unbearably sensitive.
Sure enough, only after Yuan Yao’s breathing grew slightly more rapid did Jiang Song’an unhurriedly ask, “Why were you angry earlier in the vegetable patch?”
Flustered by his teasing, her heart fluttering wildly, Yuan Yao could hardly recall anything about the vegetable patch. She shook her head. “I wasn’t…”
Jiang Song’an did not press further, but instead changed the subject. “Then when I left home early, were you truly not upset?”
Yuan Yao finally understood.
Is this blaming her for not paying attention?
No wonder he was unusually silent when drawing bathwater that evening.
She was well aware that many women felt deep reluctance and worry when their husbands left home, yet upon honest self-reflection, she found no such feelings within herself.
Perhaps having endured too many separations in her previous life, this journey to the county town for legitimate work stirred no particular reluctance. But then Yuan Yao paused to consider: could it be that her repeated coldness in her past life had gradually disappointed and chilled Jiang Song’an’s heart, leading him to depart so resolutely for the battlefield?
She was never one for excessive sentimentality, yet she had no desire to become a widow again.
Thus, after a brief moment, she took the initiative to wrap her arms around Jiang Song’an’s neck and, for the first time, spoke with gentle tenderness: “It is somewhat so, but you are the pillar of this household; mostly, I just feel sorry for you.”
After Yuan Yao finished speaking, silence fell within the bed curtains for an instant. Then, as expected, Jiang Song’an’s breathing grew heavy. Before long, that overburdened canopy bed began to creak and groan once more…